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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE NEW 

Onion Culture 



A STOKY FOR YOUNG AND OLD 

WHICH TELLS HOW TO OROW 

2,000 Bushels of Fine Bulbs 

ON ONE ACRE. 



THE NEW SYSTEM EULLY EXPLAINED. 




By T. OHEINER 

Author of "How to Make the Gauden Pay," " Pijac 
TicAL Faum Chemistry," Etc. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



.JANUARY, 1891. 



A NEW BOOK BEADY BY APRIL 1st, 1891. 



Practical Farm 
Chemistry^ 

A Handbook of Profitable Crop Feeding. 



Part I —THE RAW MATEKIALS OF PLANT FOOD. 
Part II.— THE AVAILABLE SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 
Part III.— PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMIC APPLICATION OR 
MANURING FOR MONET. 



BY T. GREINER. 



A handsome volume of ISO pages substantially 
bound in cloth. Price. $1.00. 



This work, written in plainest language, is in- 
tended to assist the farmer in the selection, 
purchase and application of plant foods. If 
you wish to learn ways how to save money in 
jDrocuring manurial substances, and how to 
ma/ce money by their proper use, read this book. 
If you want your boy to learn the principles 
of crop feeding, and become a successful far- 
mer, give him a copy of this book. The cost 
of the book will be returned a hundred fold to 
every reader who peruses its pages with care, 
and ajDplies its teachings to practice. 

For copy, free by mail, forward the price ($1.00) by Express 
Money Order or Postal Note to the Author and Publisher 

T. GREINER, La Salle, Niagara Co., N. Y. 



THE NEW 



Onion Culture 



A STORY FOR YOUNG AND OLD 



WaiCH TELLS HOW TO GROW 



2,000 Bushels of Fine Bulbs 

ON ONE ACRE. 



THE NEW SYSTEM FULLY EXPLAINED. 




By T. QREINER 

Author of "How to Make the Garden Pay," "Prac- 
tical Farm Chemistry," Etc. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



J A NU A RY, 189<^^ ^^ ^" ' ' 



COPYHIGHTED, 1890. 
BY T. GREINER, LA SALLE, N. Y. 






G.^' 



HAAS & KLEIN, PRINTERS, 
TERRACE COR. SENECA ST., BUFFALO, N. Y. 



CONTENTS. 



The Whys unci Wherefores, A Sort of Introduction.— 
A Fable. The Cat's Trick. Formidable Competition. 
A Disclaimer. A Secret Worth its Price. Horticul- 
tural School for the Young, - - - - T 
First Chapter. Well Be<iun, "HaJf Done. Hoiv the 
Plnnts arc Groivn.— Trying for the Prize Crop. The 
Cold Frame. The Seed Bed. Planting an Acre. 
Quantity of Seed Required. Time of Sowing. What 
Varieties to Plant, .----- 15 
Second Chapter. As You Make Your Bed, So You'll 
Lie. What Soil to Select. How to Manure and 
Prepare It.— The Best Soil. Manuring the Land. 
Poultry Manure. Concentrated Manure. Peparing 
the Soil. Nitrate of Soda, - - - - 23 
Third Chapter. A Diffi-culty Easily Overcome. How 
the Plants a re Set in Open O round. —The Real Work. 
One Advantage of Transplanting. Width of Plant- 
ing. Marking the Land. Setting the Plants, - 30 
Fourth Chapter. Pcrseverence That Pays. Tilla<je as 
Moisture Preserver and Weed Killer.— Objects of 
Cultivation. Tools of Tillage. Hand Weeding. 
Home-made Onion Hoe. Nitrate of Soda, - - 37 
Fifth Chapter. A Timely Pull and Haul. When and 
How to Harvest the Crop.— Banger in Delay. Signs 
of Maturity. Curing the Crop. A Curing Shed, - 43 



VI CONTENTS. 

Sixth Chapter. The Fragrant Bulb in Market. The 
Prizctaker A Pricetaker. Weight of Crop. A Cali- 
fornia Crop. Price Received. Prizetaker and Spanish 
Onion. Wintering Onions, - - - - 47 

Seventh Chapter. All's Well That Ends Well. Advan- 
tages and Profits of the New Way. Some Offsets. 
Advantages of the Method. Estimate of Cost and 
Returns, - - - - - - - 58 

A Sort of Postscript. The Old Onion Cnltn re. Sowing 
Seed in Open Ground by Hand and with the Garden 
Drill. After-Culture. Pickling Onions. Growing 
Sets. Conclusion, ------ 58 



THE \ 

Whys and Wherefores. 



A SORT OF INTRODUCTION. 



" If I were a tailor, I'd make it my pride 

The best of all tailors to be ; 
If I were a tinker, no tinker beside 

Should mend a tinkettle like me." 

^ITHO has never met the " Jnck-of-all-trades" 
^ * — knowing a little of all, and being pro- 
ficient in none — a clever sort of person, and 
liandy to have around as a " general utility ' ' 
man, but never rising above the level of med- 
iocrity in anything, or able to -aspire to great 
things, or command large pay I The man Avho 
excels, even in a seemingly unimportant spec- 
ialty, is the one w^ho will achieve a brilliant 
success and command big i3ay for his work. 

Some of my readers undoubtedly have heard, 

or read, the old fable of the fox and the cat. 

The story, like other fables, has a 

A Fable. , •'' . ^, ,. ' ^, 

moral, and is worth repeating, ihe 
two animals met in the woods, when the voices 
of hounds were heard in the distance. 

'' Poor pussy," said the fox, "what will you 
do when the dogs get after you ? ' ' 



8 , NEW ONION cultukp: ; 

" I know a trick," replied the cat, " and am 
not alarmed,' ' 

" One poor, contemptible little trick!" the fox 
exclaimed in derision. " Why! you are to be 
pitied. I have a whole bagful of tricks." 

The hounds, in the meantime, had come 
j)retty close, and conversation was brought to 
a stop. The fox sped through woods and fields 
and meadows, playing one trick after another, 
in the vain attempt to throw the hounds off the 
scent. The pursuers remained on his track, 
and finally overtook and grabbed him. 

In his dying moments he looked uj), and saw 
the cat in the top of a tall tree, safe from mo- 
lestation. "Your one trick is worth more than 
my whole bagful," sighed he, and expired. 

Many farmers are situated pretty much like 
the fox in the fable. They have a whole bag- 
ful of tricks by which they hope to escape 
the usurer, and perhaps the sheriff. They 
raise a little wheat, and a little oats, a 
few potatoes, a litte hops, some berries, a few 
hogs, or a cow, a horse, etc., things which j)rob- 
ably cost them $1.25 for every dollar they 
get for them. They try one trick after another, 
or two or three at a time, changing from one 
thing to another; and the harder they try, the 
harder they find themselves pressed, and at 
last — pity 'tis, 'tis true — in only too many cases 
they meet a fate somewhat like the fox's. 

The whole bagful of ordinary tricks does not 



WHYS AXD WIIEllEFORES. 9 

save them; but the one special cat's trick of 

climbing np to the top of tree or ladder will 

never fail to give a way of es- 

The cat's Trick. ^^^^^ ^^ ^,.^^ .^^^^^ ^^^^ j^^^^^ 

of the crowd— that is the trick worth knowing, 
and it makes very little difference whether you 
climb up a tree, or a pole, or a ladder, though 
you get to the top. Learn the one trick well, 
and you '11 be safe. 

What I wish to do in this little work, is to 
tell you of a genuine cat's trick which I have 
recently discovered— the trick of climbing up 
to the top in onion culture. 

To grow larger and better bulbs, and more 

bushels on a given area,. than anybody else, has 

always been my aim as an onion grower. My 

chief and almost only competitor has been the 

grower in California, favored by 

Formidable ^j-i^t wonderful climate. It would 

competition. ^^ .^^^^ .^^ ^^^^ ^^^ eastern grower, 

who has to operate with old, well-worn soil, 
and a short and unreliable season, to enter a 
race for biggest yield with the grower in a 
state, where bulbs, weighing live pounds and 
upwards apiece, can be produced in open ground 
by ordinary good culture. 

How we were beaten quite badly by a Cali- 
fornia party, in 1890, in consequence of clima- 
tic and atmospheric conditions which were 
favorable to our competitor, and exceedingly 
unfavorable to us, will be told later on. I am. 



10 NEW OjS^ion culture ; 

liowever, still in the field, for further tests of 
strength, notwithstanding all the drawbacks of 
climate and worn soil, for 

" . . . . I've made it my pride 
The best of all growers to be." 

The greatest obstacle is in myself — my love 
of gossip. If I lind out a trick or secret that I 
am sure is of value to the world at large, I can 
not bear to keep silent but must tell it at once 
to everybody. 

Now I have discovered such a " secret " in 

onion growing, one which eliminates every 

element of uncertainty from the whole business, 

and gives me such advantages that 

A Valuable even California people would not 
stand the ghost of a chance in 
competition against me for best crop, so long 
as they practice only the ordinary old method. 
It's mere child's play for me, or anybody that 
follows my new plan, to grow two or three 
times as many onions on an acre as professional 
growers do under the old method, and to send 
bulbs to market over which the commission 
merchants, and the storekeepers, and consu- 
mers themselves, can grow enthusiastic; bulbs, 
too, which are readily selling for $1.00 a 
bushel, when ordinary onions bring 80 cents. 

Now here is a secret worth money; and if I 
had been shrewd enough to keep the matter to 
myself, and work it for all its worth, I might 
make a nice round sum of money by a discretion 
which, as usual, is the better part of valor. 



WHYS AND WHEREFORES. H 

But it is IV t my nature. 1 liave to give the 
whole thing away, and teach my would-be-com- 
petitors the ways in which they may possibly 
beat me. So I shall at least not be open to the 
charge of taking an unfair advantage of them. 
On the other hand, I claim considerable credit 
for the discovery of the new method. I admit 
I am not the first person to transplant onions. 
On a small scale, specimens have been grown 
in England for exhibit in a similar way; various 
growers have for generations employed the 
transplanting process for lilUng out gaps in 
their onion rows; and others have practiced a 
plan almost identical with mine in growing 
early onions for bunching. But to apply the 
principle to field culture, to reduce the crude 
plan to a system, and to practice, advocate, and 
teach it in advance of all others— that, 1 claim, 
is my merit. 

Credit is also due, however, to Prof. W. J. 
Green, of the Ohio Experiment Station, who 
has worked out this same problem, simulta- 
neously with me, but entirely independently. 
Neither of us knew that the other was following 
the same track. I got somewhat the start of 
Mr. Green, by getting the results of my inves- 
tigations before the public first. The first, 
though brief, description of the novel method 
appeared in " How to Make the Garden Pay," 
written by me in autumn 1889, and published by 
Mr. Wm Henry Maule, of Philadelphia, at the 



12 NEW ONION culture; 

beginning of 1890. Prof. Green is almost more 
enthusiastic in regard to the new onion culture 
than I am myself. In a general way he has 
come to exactly the same conclusions that I 
have. This endorsement of the new idea has 
been a matter of much satisfaction to me, for 
it can only serve to strengthen an already 
strong position. 

In the following pages I tell the story of the 
X)rize crop that failed to get the i)rize; the story 
of the crop which was a big success for the 
novice, and a dismal failure for the expert. I 
have tried to make every detail of the new 
onion culture perfectly plain, so that even the 
beginner can go to work at once with a prospect 
of growing not less than 1,000 bushels on an 
acre in a poor- season, and twice that amount in 
a good one. 

I wish it distinctly understood, however, that 

I teach how success can be attained, but that I 

do not guarantee it. My method has to be 

learned like any other business 

A. Tim P.I Ri TTi fii* 

operation. My emphatic advice 
is to begin on a moderate scale. Plant an ounce 
or two of seed, learn what can be done, and 
then if you wish, plant a larger jDatch. It is 
always safer to grow into a specialty, than to 
go into it. 

The information given in this little work I 
know to be valuable. The professional onion 
grower who tal^es advantage of my advice and 



WHYS AND WHEREFORES. 13 

teaching will see his annual profits increased 
by hundreds of dollars. Consequently I do 
not fear anybody will question that the infor- 
mation is worth its price. As 
The Secret aoricultural literature ^oes, 

Worth Its Price. '^ -tip 

now-a-days, the price 1 ask lor 
a little work like this may seem high, but 1 
should be conceded the privilege of setting my 
own figure on my own professional advice; it is 
for this alone — for the information — that I 
charge; not for the paper and the print. 

Suppose, after a careful perusal of the fol- 
lowing i)ages, you order a single paper, or a 
single ounce of onion seed, of one of the vari- 
eties hereafter named, and treat it as did our 
young friend in the story, and according to my 
advice, you will be pretty sure to raise a crop 
w^orth from ten to hundred and more times the 
purchase price of this little volume. 

I had still another object in view in writing 

the "story of the prize onion crop;" a story of 

success achieved by a young 

Horticultural greeuliaiid under mv advice and 

Training for 

Your Boy. direction. What was done by 
Gerold, in this case, can be done 
by any wide-awake youngster of ordinary in- 
telligence. This story will show him an easy 
way of earning a little pocket money of his 
own, and of growing a crop of which he may 
be proud, and which will take the X3rize at hor- 
ticultural fairs notwithstanding the competition 



14 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

of the "old experienced"' onion grower who 
works still on the old plan. 

And what a horticultnral schooling and train- 
ing this affords besides I Can there be a better 
opportunity for awakening your boy's interest 
in horticultural matters and making him study 
up horticultural problems for himself, than by 
putting a copy of this book, and a package or 
ounce of Prizetaker onion seed into his hands, 
and a few square rods of good land at his dis- 
posal for a start, with these words: 

" Here you have the story of Gerold, and all 
needed requisites. Now go and see what you 
can do r ' 

It will be worth more to your boy than if 
you were to present him with a clean $100 in 
cash. 

What say you, dear reader;' 

T. GREINER, 

Jan. 1, 1891. la salle, n. y. 



FIRST CHAPTER. 



WELL BEGUN— HALF DONE. 

now TIIK PLANTS AUK (HJOWX. 



f^ EROLD usually knows a good thing when 
^-^ he sees it. He saw the splendid Prize - 
taker onions grown in my garden, in 1889, by 
the new method, and he knew this was his 
chance. 

" Had n't I better raise a big patch myself, 
next yearT' he suggested one day, after he 
had done considerable mental figuring on cost 
and prolit. 

I knew my young friend to be a very impul- 
sive youth, but I was not convinced of his 
perseverance . So I tried to show to him — the 
greenhand in onion culture — the magnitude of 
the task, and what an elephant he was going to 
tackle; but Gerold was bound to make the trial. 

The boy appeared so eager, that at last I 
became enthusiastic in his behalf myself. 



16 NEW ONION CULTUEE ; 

" Why not try for the $50 prize offered by 
one of our prominent seedsmen, for the largest 

crop of Prizetakers grown from 
^rizfcrVp^* one ounce of seed?" Gerold's 

face beamed with pleasure when 
I offered this suggestion. The unfortunate habit 
of ' ' putting off until to-morrow what might be 
done to-day," interfered, however, with the 
prompt ordering of the seed, and before this 
came to hand, April had arrived. This delay 
was a blunder which cost Gerold many bushels 
of onions. It became plain, in the course of 
the season, that the crop was reduced not less 
than one-third, or more, from this cause — but it 
was a lesson which will not easily be forgotten. 
The seed, of course, was planted the same day 
as received, but at that time I had plants in 
my frames already large enough for setting in 
open ground. An early start is the chief con- 
dition of full success. Without it, the under- 
taking is not 2DeU begun; with it, it is really 
more than half done. 

At once, after ordering the seed, Grerold had 

prepared a little cold frame three feet by six, 

or iust large enough for an or- 

The Cold Frame. -,. '' , . , -, n t 

dinary hot bed sash, such as 
happened to be at hand. The picture of frame, 
on opposite page, will give the beginner an 
idea how it looks. It is a simple box, slanting 
from rear where it is about twelve inches high; 
to front, where about eight inches high. This 



GROWING THE PLANTS. 



17 



box is set directly upon the ground in some 
well-drained and well-protected sunny spot, 
facing south or south-east. It is then filled 




ONE-SASH COLD FKAME, 



with a mixture of good turfy loam, sand, and 
fine old compost to about four inches from the 
top. Ordinary rich garden soil, freed from 
stones and rubbish by sifting, and further en- 
riched with fine compost, well mixed and sifted 
together, will also answer every purpose. The 
surface is made fine and smooth 
with a steel rake, and marked off 
with straight furrows from front to rear. They 
are easily drawn across with the handle of the 
rake, or with a little stick, or even the finger, 
and should be about an inch deep, and four 
inches apart. 



The Seed Bed. 



18 



NEW OIN^ION CULTURE ; 



Such was the frame and seed bed as Gerold 
had preijared. The ounce of seed was evenly 
scattered over the whole surface of the bed, 
and each furrow carefully filled in again with 
the hand. The latter operation buries all the 
seed in the furrows Afterwards the soil was 
well firmed by patting it with the face of the 
rake, or by means of a piece of board. Now 
the sash was put on, and the bed left pretty 
much to itself, excepc giving air on fine days, 
and an occasional thorough watering when the 
soil seemed to become very dry. -As the season 




PLx\]SrTS READY FOR TRANSPLAiNTING. 



advanced, the sash was removed, at hrst par- 
tially, and then entirely, in order to harden off 
the plants, which is an important matter. In 
from four to six weeks after sowing the seed, 



GK()WIN(; THE I'LANTS. 19 

the plants were ready for transfer to open 
ground, and there were just 5,000 of them, ap- 
pearing then as shown in illustration, page 18. 
I have told and illustrated this for the benefit 
of the youngster who very likely knows nothing 
about the construction and use of cold frames. 
For the benefit of the market gardener, and all 
those that wish to grow onions on a larger 
scale, I will say, that I am making the rows 
only three inches apart, and use about one and 
one-half ounces of seed to the sash. The 
eleven rows thus give me 

PlantiQg an Acre. 

about 8,000 good plants, and 
as we have to calculate on about 130,000 plants 
for an acre, we should use a frame of about 
fifteen sashes to get plants enough for a one- 
acre patch. Perhaps it might do to crowd the 
plants still more, and grow the needed plants 
in a twelve-sash frame. At any rate we will 
require about one and one-half pounds of good 

seed to grow an acre of onions 
seSquLl in this way, if we plant for 

largest yield on that area. The 
old method requires six or eight pounds of seed 
per acre. The saving of the difference is an 
advantaga of the new method, and although 
one of the less important ones, is yet worth 
mentioning when seed costs $5 or $6 a pound. 
The plants can be transplanted at almost any 
stage of growth, from the tiny thing not bigger 
than a darning needle, as found three weeks 



20 NEW ONION CULTURE ; 

after sowing the seed, to the vigorous and well- 
rooted plant of pencil size, and larger. When 
of about fV iiicti in diameter, however, they are 
of the best size for the operation. They are 
then more easily handled, and there will be 
a smaller percentage of loss than when the 
plants are smaller. When planting on a large 
scale, we may need several weeks time for the 
Job of transplanting. So if we want the plants 
all just at the right size, it would be better to 
sow only a few frames at a time, at intervals of 
several days, to have the plants come in proper 
succession. The first lot may 

Time of Sowing. . i i i? ^i 

be sown six weeks before the 
time that the soil is usually in good working 
order. For this vicinity (Western New York), 
for instance, I begin to sow about March 1st, or 
even a week before, and at intervals until March 
15th, when the last seed should go in. In an 
emergency frames, covered with waterproof 
cloth (muslin painted with a mixture of linseed 
oil and raw egg) may answer, but glass is by 
all odds the best and safest to use. 

For the first sowings, and in localities with 
rather severe winters, it may be necessary to 
use a hot-bed with moderate bottom heat in 
place of the cold frame. In that case, get for 
each single sash a one-horse load of fresh horse 
manure (from well-fed horses), preferably mixed 
with quarter its bulk of dry forest leaves, and 
place an even layer, eighteen to twenty-four 



VARIETIES. 



21 



inches deep, either in an excavation of about 
the same depth, or directly upon the ground, 
and upon this manure place the frame and the 
soil for the seed bed. 
What varieties to select for our purpose, is 




m 



PUIZETAKEE ONION. 



What Varieties 
to Plant. 



a leading question. I prefer the Prizetdker to 
all others. It . seems especially- 
calculated for the new method. 
I consider it the finest, hand- 
somest and largest onion now in cultivation in 
America, and its flavor most . excellent. Any 
gardener can fall in love with this variety. If 
well grown, it closely resembles the imported 



22 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

"Spanish" onion kept on sale at groceries and 
fruit stores. Next to Prizetaker, and some- 
what similar, is Spanish King, also a grand 
onion, but not equal to the other. 

Prof. W. J. Green thinks that the old 
standard varieties — the Wethersheld Red and 
Dan vers Yellow — are also suitable sorts for 
growing under the new system. I do not yet 
put forth any such claim. I believe, however, 
that the White Globe {Southport White Olobe) 
will do beautifully when thus grown, and I 
shall plant it quite extensively next season. 
The white onions, for the last few years, have 
brought exceedingly good prices. 

There are also a number of others, newer and 
older, among the foreign (Italian) varieties, 
such as the Silver King, the Giant Roccas, 
Tripoli, etc., etc., which might -be grown with 
advantage by the same method ; but as most of 
these sorts are poor keepers I prefer those 
first-named. Prof. Green writes me, however, 
that the White Yictoria has done very nicely 
with him, and that he considers it superior to 
any white sort tested at the station grounds. 



SECOND CHAPTER. 



AS YOU MAKE YOUR BED, SO 
YOU 'LL LIE. 

WHAT SOIL TO SELECT, HOW TO MANURE AND 
PREPARE IT. 



<<\117"HAT spot would you advise me to select, 
for my onion patch?" asked. Gerold, 
after we had sown the seed. • 

We had a piece of good loam, not very fertile, 

'tis true, but having been cropped with carrots 

and beets the year before, conse- 

The Best Soil. ^- ■. -, ;j - -p • 

quently quite clean, and m lair 
tilth. It is underlaid with a kind of quick- 
sand which supplies moisture by capillary' 
action even during a dry spell, while the excess 
of water is carried off by tile drains. 

"Here is the exact spot that you want,'' 
said I. 

" Why not plant it on that deep, rich muck? " 
came the next query. 



24 NEW ONION CULTURE ; 

" It is too loose, too deep, too rich way down, 
and decidedly too moist. The tine Prizetakers 
might all take a notion to grow up thick-necked 
— romps, scallions — and worthless for sale or 
keep. By all means take loam, sandy pre- 
ferred, and if possible with good natural drain- 
age, but certainly not without drainage of some 
kind. Water should never stand on the sur- 
face of an onion patch even for a single day. 

Of course, the soil must be free from stones, 
and coarse gravel, and rubbish of any kind, and 
as near as possible, also from weed seeds. A 
new clover sod that will pulverize nicely will 
do first rate; but if the sod is old and tough, 
it would hardly be suitable for our purpose 
shortly after being broken. A crop of potatoes, 
corn, beans, beets, carrots, cabbages, etc., will 
get such sod land in admirable shape for a suc- 
ceeding crop of onions. 

Of course, my advice decided the matter con- 
cerning the spot to be used for the prize crop, 
and the sequence proved the choice to have been 
a wise one. The seven weeks' drought in July 
and August, which came very near killing a big 
patch of the finest onions for me, which had 
been planted on rich loam underlaid with stiff 
clay, but thoroughly tile-drained, had but little 
effect on the plants of the prize crop, as the 
porous subsoil allowed the passage of sufiicient 
moisture from the underground reservoirs, to 
keep the crop in growing condition during all 



MANURING THE LAND. 25 

that long dry spell. This advantage of porous 
subsoil should be well remembered in the selec- 
tion of soil. 

Gerold's piece of land had been well plowed 
the fall before, in narrow beds with deep fur- 
rows between, that provided thorough surface 
drainage during the seasons of super-abundant 
rainfall. 

" Shall I plow the land again? " Gerold asked 
when the plants were nearly large enough for 
transplanting. 

" No, sir; no need of plowing it again when 
we have such excellent harrows to stir the sur- 
face sufficiently deep." 

" What about manure? " Gerold asked again. 

I pointed to the big heap of fine cattle-yard 

manure, consisting at cattle drop- 

the°Lanf pi^gs and urine-soaked sand and 
soil, several car loads of which were 
bought and stored during the fall before. 

"Put it on thick! " I said, and Gerold was 
ready enough to follow the injunction. 

The fact is, that any kind of good compost 
may be used, and it can hardly be put on too 
generously. For next season we have plowed 
an acre of land of the same general character as 
that used by Gerold, and we are now putting 
on three car loads of such cattle-yard manure 
broadcast. I like to have the fine compost 
several inches deep over the whole surface. 

We also had a lot of old poultry manure, and 



26 NEW ONIOlSr CULTUEE ; 

this was applied broadcast on top of the first 

dressing. Poultry manure is most 

Manure, excellent for onions, and there is 

no need of being afraid of it. My 

way of managing it, is to scatter some dry soil, 

muck, or sifted coal ashes under the perches from 

time to time. Thus I obtain a fine, dry, rich 

compost, and I would not hesitate to jiut this 

one-half inch deep all over the ground if I could 

only get enough of it for such a dressing. It 

brings the onions every time. 

Besides these manures I would use everything 
else I could get hold of in the shape of fertilizing 
materials, such as wood ashes, leached and un- 
leached, etc. , but I should not use raw manure, 
especially if not entirely free from weed seeds. 

" Shall I put on any fertilizer? " was Gerold's 
next question. 

' ' If under this term you mean one of the 

concentrated manufactured manures, such as 

Mapes' potato fertilizer, or any 

^M^iTures*^ Other high-grade complete ma- 
nure, as made and sold under 
the name of "special vegetable manures," why, 
yes, but not until the surface of the soil has 
been well stirred up, and the comjDost mixed 
in by means of the Pulverizer." 

One style of "Disk" Harrow or Pulverizer, 
and the "Acme" Harrow are shown opposite. 
The former cuts deep, and works the ground 
over very thoroughly, and I prefer to use it 



PREPAEING THE GROUND. 



27 



first, then follow with the Acme which 
smoothes the surface, that the Disk has left 




DISK PULVERIZER. 



somewhat ridged. In the absence of an Acme, 
an ordinary smoothing harrow will do very 




ACME HARROW. 



well. Should neither Disk nor Acme be at 
command, I would use a narrow-bladed eulti- 



28 NEW ONION CULTURE ; 

vator, perferably the Planet Jr. horse cultiva- 
tor, manufactured by S. L. Allen & Co., of 
Philadelphia, Pa., stirring up the whole sur- 
face, and thus mixing the compost with the soil. 

With a heavy dressing of fine rich compost, 
and additional applications of hen manure, 
ashes, etc , the use of concentrated manufac- 
tured manures (the "fertilizers" of common 
farm parlance) might be very well dispensed 
with, but I dislike to omit it even then, as it 
may serve to make an assured success still 
doubly sure. 

Under some soil conditions — in rich old 
gardens, or peaty soils, for instance — we might 
operate with concentrated manures without 
compost, etc., but if you wish to see very clear 
in this matter, I would advise you to study 
my "Practical Farm Chemistry." 

The Mapes' potato manure was at hand. The 
only query was, how much to ajDply. I advised 
the use of about 1,000 pounds to the acre; for, 
with liberal manuring, such as here described, 
the application of larger quantities would 
probably be little else but waste. The "fertil- 
izer " is sown broadcast on the surface, now 
reasonably smooth, and also • 

Preparing the Soil. . -, . ,^ .-, ■, -, . 

stirred into the soil, but this 
time with the small Disk or Meeker harrow. 
This makes the surface about as even as could 
be done by hand raking, and in one- tenth or 
one-twentieth the work or time required for the 



PREPAKING THE GROUND. 29 

latter operation. The Meeker harrow is adver- 
tised by some of our leading seedsmen, among 
them James Gregory and P. Hend^'son & Co. 
It costs about $25, but it is a great labor saver, 
and almost indispensable in the market or farm 
garden. The ordinary steel rake, however, is 
good enough for smaller patches. Whatever 
tools you use, the surface should be smooth as 
a board, and the land is then ready for planting. 
My friends may call my way of manuring 
"high," if not excessive, or extravagant. But 
I am not yet satisfied. While 

Nitrate of Soda. ,, ,^ ^ ^/^ i 11 

the 2,000 bushel crop m many 
cases can be secured eve)i with less generous 
manuring than I recommend, I would consider 
the work but imperfectly done when nitrate of 
soda is left out. But this I apply later on, and 
I will tell how, in due time. 



THIRD CHAPTER. 



A DIFFICULTY EASILY OVERCOME. 

HO\y THE PLANTS ARE SET IN OPEN GROUND. 



T 



O transplant a few hundred onion plants is 

not a formidable task, but when you 

set 130,000, covering an acre, you 

Keai Work. have a big job on hand, and no 

mistake. Indeed, it is the work 

connected with my new onion culture; all the 

rest of it is easy— mere child's play, I might say. 

Gerold, who had imagined that setting his 

5,000 plants would be only a few hours' job, and 

an easy one at that, soon discovered his mistake. 

Unused to out-door labor, he soon wearied of 

the task, es^Decially while working alone, and 

could not be induced to keep at it more than a 

little while at a time. So the work dragged 

along slowly, until hired help was called to his 

assistance, and the work speedily finished. By 

the way, this is not a new lesson. Nobody 



TKANSPLANTING. 31 

should expect to see much work done, when a 
youngster is set at a tedious job all alone by 
himself. Let him have good steady company 
and he will do all right. 

To plant one acre, we have to set 130,000 
plants, as already stated. I can get boys, that, 
with some practice, will set 2,000 to 3,000 plants 
a day, and nimble-lingered persons, used to 
garden work, will easily set 4,000. The job of 
j)lanting an acre is therefore equivalent to 
probably not less than 30 to 40 days' work, and 
in some cases this estimate may be considerably 
exceeded, but the amount of |50 should be 
more than enough to pay for the whole job. 

Transplanting so many onions may be a costly 

operation, but it relieves us of much, if not all 

hand-weeding, and entirely of 

of^TransViantfng. ^he job of thinning. Old onion 
growers know something about 
the tediousness and costliness of these oper- 
ations. The saving, in these respects, more than 
pays for the labor of transplanting. 

" How far apart shall I set my plants? " comes 
the next inquiry. 

As I wish to raise the largest crop on an acre, 
I plant close. No use wasting space and op- 
portunity. Twelve inches is space 

of Wanting euough between the rows, and four 

inches enough between the plants 

in each row, even for the Prizetaker and other 

large varieties. Three inches space between 



32 NEW ON^iON culture; 

the plants would be sufficient for the White 
Globe, Danvers Yellow, and other American 
sorts . 

The marker we use is a simple home-made 

affair, still simpler than the one illustrated 

below. The teeth, made of 1 by f inch stuff, 

and 8 inches long, may be just 

the?and nailed to a 3 by 3 inch piece of 

proper length, so that the points 

will be 12 inches apart. I like to have two poles 




SIMPLE MARKEK. 

fastened to the scantling in thill fashion, and a 
convenient handle back of the scantling for 
better guidance. I should always prefer to 
have two persons operate it, one to draw it and 
the other walking behind and keeping the lines 
or marks straight. They need not be deep or 
broad. All we want of them is to guide us in 
planting. 

Straight and uniform rows, and uniform dis- 
tance between the plants, add largelj^ to the 



SETTING THE PLANTS. 33 

attractiveness of the patch, even if they were 
not of practical usefulness in facilitating the 
work of cultivating, and perhaps otherwise. 
Consequently we mark off the land both ways. 
Only the long rows need be straight, and they 
should not be marked off much in advance of 
planting. The cross marks merely' serve as an 
aid in planting the onions at uniform distances 
in the rows; consequently we just draw the 
marker across the long marks in any way we 
please, and without troubling ourselves whether 
this is done in straight or crooked lines. One 
plant is to be set into each cross mark, and two 
plants between each two, which makes three 
plants to the foot of row. Of the ordinary 
varieties (Yellow and White Globe, Danvers, 
etc.) we set three plants between each two cross 
marks, which gives us four plants to the foot. 
" How is the planting done? " you ask. 

The first thing needed is a small dibber, which 

may be made of a piece of seasoned hard wood, 

six inches long, one inch in diame- 

th?pfants ^®^ ^^ larger end, and tapering to a 
point at the other. The operation 
of setting the plants is made so plain by 
the illustration on the next page, that little 
explanation by words will be needed. Open 
the hole with the dibber and insert the 
plant, not over an inch deep. Then strike the 
dibber into the ground an inch or so back of 
the plant, and, using its lower end as a pivotal 



34 NEW ONION CULTURE ; 

point, draw the upper end towards you, thus 
pressing the soil firmly against the underground 
part of the little plant. This, of course, leaves 
another little opening a little back of the plant. 
This may be closed, and the surface somewhat 
smoothed by another light stab or so with the 




SETTING THE PLANTS. 

dibber, or a simple manipulation of the fingers. 
A broken kitchen knife ground to a point, 
or a little Hat steel dibber with handle, such as 
illustrated on the opposite page, and as may 
be made by any blacksmith at small cost, 
will also do good service. In opening the hole, 
have' the flat side of knife or dibber facing you, 
and pull the toj) just a little towards you. Then 
insert the plant back of the dibber, withdraw 
the latter and strike in again back of the plant, 
pressing the soil against the roots in the same 
manner as was done with the wooden dibber. 



SETTING THE PLANTS. 



35 



The most expedient way of managing this 
whole business is as follows : Take up a lot of 
plants from the seed bed, which may be done 
by running the point of a small trowel under 
them, and lifting them out. Carefully separate 



K 




BROKEN KNIFE. 



SMALL DIBBER. 



and straighten them out. Then let a boy take 
a basketful and drop them just ahead of the 
planters. Of course the work shoukl be begun 
just as soon as the ground can be got in proper 
shape. It must be moist and crumbly, but not 
wet and sticky. Begin with the plants that 
were started first, or are largest, and carry the 
job to completion as speedily as possible. 



36 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

The great trouble Gerold had with his " prize 
crop" was the delay in transplanting, which 
was to a small part due to the rainy season and 
the spring floods, and to a much larger part 
Gerold's own fault. The result showed very 
plainly that the difference of a week or two in 
time of planting with this crop may make con- 
siderable difference in the yield — of course in 
favor of early planting. 



FOURTH CHAPTER. 



A PERSEVERANCE THAT PAYS. 

TILLAGE AS MOISTURE PRESERVER AND WEED 
KILLER. 



T ITTLE needs to be said to the expert 
gardener about cultivation and its objects. 
He knows the importance of keeping the soil 
well stirred among all garden crops in general, 
and among onions in particular. ' ' Tillage is 

manure" is an old saying. In the 
cuulv'^ation. pi^esent case, however, we care 

little about the manurial effect, 
for we have provided plant-food in great abun- 
dance. The great benefit we expect from cul- 
tivation, is the preservation of moisture, and 
incidentally the destruction of weeds. An 
inch or so of loose soil acts as a mulch, and a 
most excellent one at that, which prevents the 
rapid evaporation of the soil water. The 
moisture rises through the compact soil, by 
means of capillary action, until it reaches the 
stirred portion. Here its progress is arrested, 



38 



NEW OXION^ CULTUEE ; 



and the only way to reach the surface, and 
escape in the air, is by evaporation, which is 
so greatly retarded by the loose layer of soil. 

The chief tool required for the process of 
soil stirring, is a good hand wheel-hoe, arranged 
for straddling the row. I use both 
TUilg" ^^^ Planet Jr. double wheel-hoe, 
and Gregory's linger weeder. Some- 
times I think the one and sometimes the other 




FINGER WEEDEE. 



does better work. Perhaps it depends some- 
what on the condition in which the soil hap- 
pens to be. Either one, however, is a perfectly 
reliable tool for the purpose. There may be 
others nearly as good. This weeder was intro- 
duced bv J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead, Mass. 



CULTIVATION. 



39 



Whatever wheel-hoe you have at your com- 
mand, use it thoroughly and frequently. As 
soon as there is the least sign of a crust over 
the surface, start the wheel- hoe without delay. 
The mulch of loose soil should be kept on the 
ground all the time. 

Running a wheel-hoe is not heavy work. 
The average boy will rather enjoy it. Gerold 




PLAXET .IR. DOUBLE HOE. 



needed no particular coaxing to do the job at 
proper season, and to do it well. In reality it 
is probably the least tiresome work in the 
whole business. An acre can be gone over by 
one person, even a boy, inside of one day. 

As the season advances, I also occasionally 
like to use a wheel-hoe or cultivator between 
the rows. For this operation the Planet Jr. 



40 



NEW ONION culture; 



single -wheel hoe (with cultivator teeth) is my 
first choice. 

" Is no hand weeding to be done at all ? " you 
may ask me. 

That depends. If the soil is of a weedy 
character, or the patch is neglected for any 
length of time, we may find considerable work 
— and disa,<2:reeable work — to do on 
w^edine hands and knees. With timely at- 
tention little is needed, and that 
little can be done very efl'ectively by means of 




PLANET .TR. SINGLE WHEEL HOE. 



the Langs' s hand weeder, or of a kitchen knife 
the blade of which is bent in the shape of a 
curve, and sharj)ened on both sides. The way 
the hand weeder is used is shown opposite. 



WEED KILLING. 



41 



A most excellent tool for taking out the 
weeds in the rows from between the plants, can 
be easily made from an pld worn- 
out hoe. Cut the blade down 
as shown on next page, leav- 
ing the lower part (between the corners) only 
about 2 or 2^ inches wide. With this sharp- 



Home-made 

Onion Hoe. 




LANG S HAND WEEDER IN USE. 



cornered tool you can strike between the 
plants, cutting out the weeds, and loosening 
the soil. This manipulation, and the free use 
of the wheel-hoe, will usually be all the culti- 
vation needed. But the hand which wields 
the sharpened hoe should be a careful one, and 
be guided by a head possessing a fair degree 
of intelligence. 

" Is nitrate of soda a factor in this after-cul- 
tivation ? " 



42 



NEW ONION CULTURE. 



Nitrate 
of Sodai 



Of course I use it, and I would hardly wish 
to be onion an grower if I had to do without it. 
The plants are hardly in the ground, 
when I begin with a dressing of 
about 75 pounds per acre of nitrate 
of soda, sown broadcast in the same way as 
wheat is sown. 

These dressings are repeated about every ten 
days until along in July. Mr. Joseph Harris 




A GOOD ONION HOE. 



thinks the whole application might be made 
early in the season all at once, say at the rate 
of 500 to 750 pounds per acre, but I am too 
choice with the costly nitrogen, and prefer to 
apply as stated — in five or six applications, 
requiring in the aggregate from 375 to 450 
pounds per acre. The apjplication can be made 
at almost any time, rain or shine. 



FIFTH CHAPTER. 



A TIMELY PULL AND HAUL. 

WHEN AND HOW TO HAEYEST THE CROP. 



"NT O W we come to an important point in our 

undertaking. A little neglect in pulling 

and hauling may result in great damage, if not 

ruin to the crop, I know whereof I speak. 

When grown by the new method, 

Danger ^^-^^ onions mature several weeks 
m Delay- 
earlier than they would if grown in 

the old way. If the mature bulbs are left in 

the ground, especially if ripened somewhat 

prematurely by a dry spell in July and August, 

and a long period of rain should follow as- 

sometimes happens — and it happened the past 

season — growth will be renewed; and we might 

just as well try to make water run up hill as 

attemj)t to stop an onion from growing when 

once started. Of course this second growth 

ruins the bulb for market. 



44 NEW ONION culture; 

A lesson which I have learned by costly ex- 
perience is, that the crop should be pulled just 
as soon as the bulbs have reached maturity. 

" How am I to know," asked Gerold, * ' when 
the onions are fit for pulling? " 

" The tops fall over at maturity, and begin 

to waste away, the substance being gradually 

absorbed by the bulbs. So, when 

M^urity ^'^^^ majority of the tops are dying 

down, your time has come. Don't 

wait any longer, especially if it is getting pretty 

well along in the season. 

Some of the tops- may yet be green and stand- 
ing up like soldiers, but it matters not. Pull 
the crops and leave on the ground. The bulbs 
will absorb the substance of the tops, and the 
latter dry away." 

Dry weather is very desirable as long as 
onions lie on the ground to cure. If rain comes, 
It is well to rake them over carefully with a 
lawn rake or wooden rake with dull teeth. 

" How long should the onions be left on the 
ground to cure? ' ' 

It may take a week or more of dri/ weather. 

At any rate the best thing that can be done is 

to gather the crop, even if only 

thef cnu) partially cured, and put it under 

shelter — in open sheds, lofts, on the 

barn floor — anywhere where dry and airy, and 

where the onions can be spread thinly on 

a dry floor. If necessary, work them over, 



CUEING SHED. 



45 



whicli may be most conveniently done by means 
of a wooden scoop or shovel. Of course the 
afternoon of a dry day is the best time for 
gathering and hauling the onions, vfor they 
should be perfectly dry on the outside— no dew 
or rain on them when j)ut under shelter. In 
such places they may be left until perfectly 




i^lj^^^fil^? 






ONION CUIUNG SHED. 



cured, i. e., until the tops have entirely dried 
away. 

Barring accidents, my crop next season will 
be too large to be accommodated by our floors 
and sheds. I have in mind to build a curing 
shed as shown above. The 
dimensions for such a shed may 
of course be varied to suit the needs of the 
grower. All the bins are made of slats, with 



Curing Shed. 



46 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

spaces between for free circulation of air. In 
rainy weather the sides may be covered with a 
canvas or adjustable boards. Perhaps some of 
the readers may be able to suggest improve- 
ments on my plan, or to give me descriptions 
of sheds now in successful operation and ap- 
parently superior to mine. If so, I shall be 
pleased to hear from them. 

Of course, the spaces between the bins should 
be large enough for convenience in manipula- 
tion. 



SIXTH CHAPTER. 



THE FRAGRANT BULB ON SALE. 

THE PRIZETAKER A PRICE-TAKER. 



/^~^EROLD'S "prize croii" was somewhat late, 
^■^ owing to late sowing, late setting, and the 
terribly poor season, j)erhaps also to a little 
negligence on Gerold's part in destroying some 
of the weeds that had appeared in the rows be- 
tween the plants. Hand weeding did not seem 
to be to Gerold's taste — and it was fortunate 
that there was but little of it required. Had 
the crop been grown by the old, ordinary 
method, probably the onions would have been 
lost in weeds, and finally given up for lost. 

During the latter half of the seven weeks' 
drought, the plants had made much less pro- 
gress than they do in a fair average season. The 
rains came late in August, the plants kept on 
growing vigorously, and they were hardly ripe 
enough for harvesting late in September. But 
as fall was drawing nigh, it was decided to pull, 
cure and put under shelter as sj^eedily as possi- 
ble. So the bulbs were pulled a week or ten 
days before October, and the weather happened 



48 NEW OliriON CULTUEE ; 

to be dry and pleasant until the first of that 
month. 

" Was the prize crop a success r' 
Not exactly, and yet it was a pretty good 
success /or a failure. At least all who saw the 
fine bulbs lying thickly upon the ground while 
curing, called it a success, j)ure and simple. 

We weighed the crop on the last day of Sep- 
tember, and it came to within a few pounds of 
a ton. The loss; of plants, owing to the small 
size of plants when transplanted, had been far 
above what I have usually found it, and had 

reduced the original 5,000 plants 
^ cfop! °^ to 4, 000— a loss of 20 per cent. As 

these 4,000 plants weighed almost 
exactly 2,000 pounds, the average was one-half 
pound per bulb. We had aimed for at least 
one pound a piece, and such average I would 
have called a whole and- full and unqualified 
success. The 2,000 pound crop, therefore, I 
am justified in calling a lialf success. 

But it was no success as a prize crop. It 
would have been, had competition been re- 
stricted to the east. As it was, Gerold 
found a formidable competitor in a grower 

somewhere in California who, at the 
■*• ^crop^°^* hist moment, and when we almost 

thought we had won, reported a 
yield from the one ounce of seed, of over 8,000 
pounds, or near two pounds apiece. Undoubt- 
edly our California friend had also hit ujDon the 



THE YIELD. 49 

new system of onion culture. With this advan- 
tage, however, I do not consider the crop extra- 
ordinary for California. The possibilities of an 
ounce of Prizetaker seed in California, are far 
beyond the reported 8,000 pounds. I believe 
that this result might even be reached here. 

Still it is a big achievement, no matter where 
obtained — 8,000 pounds, or over 140 bushels, of 
fine bulbs from one ounce of seed! Just let my 
friends think of this! The majority of growers 
grow only twice or three times that amount on 
a whole acre, and by sowing from five to eight 
pounds of seed. 

Even the one-half success, i. e. growing- 2,000 
pounds or about 35 bushels of fine bulbs from 
one ounce of seed, has made some enthusiasts 
in onion growing. And if the $5() prize was 
not obtained, the crop at least brought a good 
price in market. 

On the last day in Sej^tember the onions 
were hauled to the barn, spread thinly on the 
barn Hoor, left there until more fully cured. 
Then they were picked over, graded in two lots, 
barreled in the ordinary way (in canvas- 
covered barrels), and shipped to a commission 
dealer in Buffalo, who sold them 

Ee^cSved. ^* ^"^ average of $1.00 per bushel, 
while other, onions were selling 
for 80 cents. The commission man also became 
enthusiastic over the Prizetaker, and the pos- 
sibilities of onion culture. ■ 



50 NEW ONION cultuee; 

"If you have land that will raise such 
onions," said he, "go into onion growing by all 
means. I shall be glad to take a thousand 
bushels of such onions next year." 

It is hardly necessary to talk about selling 
onions of this kind. They will sell themselves 
at sight, and when ordinary onions are a drug on 
the market. And yet it must be stated, that 
these onions are something new on the market, 
and some people are prejudiced against all new 
things. But the commission man told that his 
customers were cured of such prejudice by a 
single trial of the new onion, and all seemed 
to like them, although some would prefer 
smaller-sized bulbs. 

While we might be satisfied with the price 
obtained for the crop, it may be well to try to 
get all there is in it. I have not yet tried the 
other plan which I have in mind, although I 
really intended to work off my crop of Prize - 
takers in just this way. Our dealer also sug- 
gested this very same scheme. 

What is it? Let me tell you that the Prize- 
taker when well-grown, looks for all the world 
like the imported Spanish onion of our grocer- 
ies. Neither can I detect much difference be- 
tween the two in point of 

spShOni". fl'-^™'-- So I have thought of 

crating up the choicest bulbs, 

in same way as the imported article, and com- 

p)ete with the foreign product in our city and 



SELLING THE CEOP. 51 

town markets. I think it can be done, and 
quite profitably too. 

I have only one more suggestion to make. 
This is to sell the croj) just as soon after it is 
properly cured as possible. Don't hold any 
considerable part of crop for a rise, unless after 
you have experimented on a small scale and 
are sure of your ground. The Prizetaker is 
not the best keeper, and I would not undertake 
to winter it over in quantity without consider- 
able more experience than I have now. 

If you can sell part of the crop directly from 
the field, do so. Sell, and send to market, and 
get the money. You may be sure it is not a 
small job to take care of a crop such as I have 
told you can be grown on even a single acre. 
It's a big thing. Never loose sight of that fact. 

In spite of my warning, I imagine some people 
will wish to know how onions can be most suc- 
cessfully wintered over. Under some circum- 
stances it may pay well to store and hold for 
spring sales such varieties as Danvers Yellow, 
and i)erhaps Wethersfield Red and 

^LTons!"^ White Globe, etc. There is a party 
over in Canada who grows quite a 
number of acres of onions every year, and he 
invariably holds them until spring, and makes 
money by so doing. Of course, I was anxious 
to learn how he winters such big crops, and 
made inquiry. He writes me as follows: 

" For the purpose of keeping onions during 



52 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

winter, we have erected two large rooms in the 

end of our barn, above ground. These rooms 

are almost frost-proof in the coldest weather; 

are provided with double windows at each end, 

and double doors at entrance from driveway on 

barn floor. All the walls have a dead air space. 

Building paper is tacked on in the inside of each "* i 

boarding that forms the hollow space. 

Onions are not put into these rooms in bul^, 
but in thonsands of slatted bushel boxes. The 
windows are kept constantly open, except in 
very cold weather. The idea is to put in 
dry, well- cured stock, and place it in such a 
way that it may always be airing at suitable 
times, and yet be secure against low degrees of 
temperature." 



SEVENTH CHAPTER. 



ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

ADVANTAGES AND PROFITS OF THE NEW WAY. 



THAT the new method of onion arrowing 
gives us a great increase of crop, besides 
many other advantages over the old way, is no 
k)nger a matter of doubt. We have demon- 
strated this truth here, and PrOf. W. J. Green 
has demonstrated it in Ohio. The great ques- 
tion now is, whether the new way is also the 
more profitable one, and if so, how profitable? 

We have already seen that the transplanting 
method calls for only about one and a half 
pounds of seed per acre, while ordinarily 
not less than six pounds are sown. As the 
Prizetaker seed now costs $6.00 
some Offsets. ^ p^^nd, the saving amounts to 
not less than $27.00 in a one-acre planting. 
On the other hand, we have the additional labor 



54 NEW ONION CULTURE ; 

of growing plants in frames, which is about a 
fair offset for the saving of seed. So there is 
little or no advantage in this repect on either 
side. 

The new way requires the considerable and 
tedious labor of transplanting, an operation 
which will cost about $50.00 per acre. On the 
other hand, we save so much hand labor in 
thinning and weeding, that one might well be 
considered an offset for the other. 

On the whole, we have come to the conclusion 
that the expenses of the crop, up to the time 
of harvesting, are very near the same, whether 
we follow the new or the old method. 

The chief advantages, of the new onion culture, 
therefore, are clear gain. Among them we have: 

1. Earlier ripening of the crop. With six 
weeks to start in sowing, the crop will come to 

maturity two or three weeks 
thf J'ewTethod. eai'^ier than it would other- 

wise. This gives a chance for 
marketing the earlier sorts much in advance of 
competitors who adhere to the old onion culture, 
as also of clearing the ground in time for a suc- 
ceeding crop, such as celery, turnips, fall 
spinach, etc., while the season is made consider- 
ably longer for the late Prizetaker, which other- 
wise has hardly time at the extreme north to 
come to full development. 

2. A decided improvement of the bulbs in 
respect to shape, size and uniformity. A row 



COST AND PROFIT. 



55 



of bulbs thus grown appears as shown below. 

3. Quicker sale and better price, in conse- 
quence of the finer appearance of the bulbs. 

4. A great increased yield, to the extent of 
even doubling or trebling that obtained by the 
ordinary method. 

5. The elimination of all uncertainties from 
the business. Even failure would mean what 




ONIONS IN ROW. 



people now call a " big crop." Nothing short 
of hail and flood could prevent a good profit in 
this new onion culture, if managed with ordin- 
ary intelligence. 

Are these not advantages enough? I should 
think they are worth taking in consideration. 

In conclusion let me give a somewhat rough 



56 NEW ONION CULTURE; 

estimate of expenses and receipts on the basis 
of my own experience, and 
cosfaidEeturns. si^rrounding conditions. Sup- 
posing that only 1,000 bushels 

are grown per acre, we then have the following: 

Expenses of Crop Per Acre. 

Rent of land, one acre, - - | 6.00 

Manure, 3 car loads @ $16, - 48.00 

Special potato fertilizer, ^ ton, - 22.00 

Nitrate of soda, - - - 8.00 

Hauling manure, and application, - 15.00 

Plowing and harrowing, - - 3.00 

Marking, ■ - - - 2.00 

Seed, ... - 9.00 

Transplanting, - - - 50.00 

Cultivating and weeding, - 24.00 

Pulling crop, - - - - 3.00 

Gathering, hauling, barreling, - 20.00 

Barrels or packages, - - 50.00 

Commission, - - - 100.00 



Total, - - - - $350.00 
Receipts. 

By 1,000 bushels of onions @ $1.00, $1,000.00 

Deducting the expenses with, - 350.00 

Net profit, . - - $ 650.00 

This, with the exception of price to be realized 
from the crop, is a perfectly safe estimate. 
There may be years where the grower will have 



COST AND -PROFIT. 57 

to accept a smaller price than the one received 
for the last (1890) crop. But even if these fine 
bulbs should not bring more than 50 cents a 
bushel, or $500 for the whole crop, the profits, 
with commission reduced to $50, will still be 
$200, after all expenses, every bit of labor in- 
cluded, are paid. 

In a good onion season the crop will hardly 
be less than 1,500 bushels per acre, if properly 
managed. Of course this would add to the ex- 
pense in harvesting and marketing, and swell 
the total expenses of crop to $400, if not over, 
but it would, most likely, also increase the net 
profits to $1,000 upwards per acre. 

What other crop could be expected to give 
you similar results, and with greater certainty? 
I am unable to name a single one among ordin- 
ary farm or market garden crops. Don' t forget, 
however, that I only pretend to teach my new 
method, hut do not guarantee results Wee those 
named. Go slowly. Success depends on your 
own efforts. 

My young friend Gerold has failed to get the 
prize, 'tis true. Perhaps it was not so much of 
a disappointment either, as in consideration of 
the drawbacks of the season and his own 
blunder, he hardly expected to get it. " Never- 
theless, he made a good profit in his onion ven- 
ture, and he is satisfied, if not elated, ^^ All 
is well that ends welV^ 



A SORT OF POSTSCRIPT. 



THE OLD ONION CULTURE. 



" Our fathers' way 

Was the good old way. 

Brought home and land, 

And cash to hand 

We '11 not despise the good old way." 

Many of the details of onion growing told 
in the preceding pages apply both to the old 
system and the new. Some additional infor- 
mation concerning what some young growers 
may consider "the good old way," will un- 
doubtedly be acceptable to many readers, and 
render this little book a complete guide to 
onion culture in all its branches. 

No matter under what system the crop is to 
be grown, I would select, manure, and prepare 
the land as advised in second chapter. Low 
lands of mucky character are used in many 



SOWING SEED IN OPEN GROUND. 59 

localities with excellent results. Yellow 
Globe Danvers and Early Red are well suited 
for such soils. The crops are often very large, 
but the individual bulbs hardly as firm as 
when grown on uplands . 

Make the seed bed perfectly smooth with 
Meeker harrow or steel rake. It is not neces- 
sary to mark out the ground, 

in oTenlr'out. ^^^^^^^ ^^ed is to be sown by 
hand. In that case use an 
ordinary garden marker making furrows nearly 
an inch deep, and twelve inches apart — none 
crossways. Then scatter the seed in these 
furrows evenly at the rate of six or eight 
pounds per acre. Cover in the usual way, 
either with the feet, firming the soil at the 
same time, or better by drawing the steel rake 
lengthwise over each I'ow, and afterwards by 
walking upon it heel-to-toe fashion, or by 
using a garden roller. 

For more extensive operations a garden seed 

drill should be used. I like the Planet Jr. 

as well as any I have ever worked. 

in^the 's7ed. ^ ^^^^^ "^^ stretching a garden line 
along one side of the path a few 
inches from where I want [the first row. This 
serves as guide, and I take great pains to have 
this row and all the following ones perfectly 
straight. 

The opening marked for onion seed in these 
garden drills, let the seed run out pretty freely 



60 NEW ONION culture; 

— perliaps at the rate of eight pounds to the 
acre — aild when the soil is in first-rate order, 
and the seed fresh and good, as this always 
should be, I usually let the seed run through 
the next smaller opening, which . sows five or 
six pounds per acre. The small roller attached 
to the seed drill firms the soil sufficiently to 
insure prompt germination of the seed. 

The weeds have to be watched much more 

closely than in the new onion cul- 

Cuiture ^'^^^® "^^^^ roller marks indicate 

where the rows are and the wheel 

hoe may be set agoing, carefully at first, even 

before manj/^ of the plants have broken ground. 

Next comes hand weeding, which should be 
begun as soon as weeds can be seen. Scrape 
the soil away from the rows. Never draw it 
up toward them Repeat as often as needed, 
at the second or third weeding also pull up the 
plants that are in excess of a fair stand. Many 
growers do not usually thin. I do, and I find 
it much the better- way. It makes the crop 
more uniform, and therefore more valuable and 
more satisfactory. Ordinary varieties should 
in no case average more than one plant to the 
inch, and they should have more space on very 
rich soil than on one not sufficiently enriched. 
The -after-treatment of crop, harvesting, etc., is 
exactly the same as described for the new onion 
culture. The following are good varieties for 
the old method: Wethersford Red, Yellow 



PICKLING ONIONS. 61 

Danvers, Southport Red, White and Yellow 
Globes. 

Growing onions for pickling is another phase 

of the business to be mentioned. The best 

„. ,,. „ . varieties for this purpose are 

Picklmg Onions, j^r ^ n -r^ 

JNJew Queen and White Barletta. 
They are very early and the crop is ready to 
be harvested in July— a number of weeks before 
even the Early Red and Yellow Danvers can 
be gathered. The general management of the 
pickling crop is the same as for market in the 
old way, only that we must sow more seed, say 
about twenty to twenty-tive pounds to the acre, 
and leave every plant to grow. The crop is to 
be harvested as soon as ripe enough, thoroughly 
cured and cleaned by rubbing them between 
the hands, and by removing tops and roots that 
have not entirely wasted away or become de- 
tached from the bulbs. The final cleansing 
and sorting is easily done by running them 
tlirough the ordinary grain fanning mill. 

For growing sets the following hints will 
suffice: Select Silverskin for white. Early Red 

for red, and Yellow Dutch oi* Yel- 
'^sets"^ low Danvers for yellow, and sow 

seed at the rate of forty to sixty 
pounds to the acre. Handle in somewhat the 
same fashion as the pickling onions. All that 
will not pass through a sieve with f inch 
meshes are too large for sets, and should go 
among the pickling onions. 



62 NEW ONION CULTURE. 

I do not despise "the good old way." There 

is (and will continue to be) money "in onions," 

even when grown as heretofore, provided the 

grower understands his business, 

Conclusion. i ., n , i . ■, 

and it does not happen to be a year 
of excessive production. With fairly good 
soil, heavy manuring and skillful management 
it is not a diiBcult task to grow 800 to 1,000 
bushels, and even upwards, to the acre. Such 
crop should leave the grower a good profit, even 
at fifty cents a bushel. 

I practice the good old way myself in grow- 
ing pickling onions, and some of the ordinary 
varieties. But we should remember that the 
average price is much lower than formerly, 
while our lands have decreased in fertility. If 
there is a ' way to increase the yield, and the 
]3rice at the same time, we cannot afford to 
ignore it. 

The good old way 

Of yesterday, 
May not be best 

For us to-day. 



THE END. 



THE LEADING WORK ON GARDENING. 



How To Make The 
Garden Pay. 

By T. GREINER. 

Profusely Illustrated. Printed in clear type. 
Handsomely bound in cloth. Price, $2.00. 



This work of 272 large pages is now considered 
standard authority on gardening. 



If you want to know how to have a good 
home garden — how to lay out, manure, prepare 
and plant the ground — read this book. 

If you want to know how to run a good 
market garden — what to grow and how to grow 
it; how to prepare the produce for market, and 
sell it at best price — read this book. 

In short, if you want to know 7ioio to make 
the garden pay^in pleasure, comfort, health 
and money — read this book. 

If you desire to make a right royal present, 
and one of the greatest j)ractical usefulness to 
your boy, or to a friend, a copy of "How to 
Make the Garden Pay," is Just the thing you 
want. 

To secure a copy free by mail, forward the price, 
$2.00, to the publisher 

WM. HENRY MAULE, Philadelphia, Pa. 




MEEKER SMOOTHING HARROW. 



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